Summer Sabbatical

Around 1 PM, as I got closer to Ava's house, I thought about the first time I could really remember seeing her. There were pictures in albums of her holding me shortly after I was born and on my first birthday; she couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen. Other pictures from numerous visits decorated frames along our hall, but all of those provided some type of false memories. The first real memory I have is of a summer vacation to my grandparents' house. Those are mostly foodie kinds of memories, but there was a plastic pool in Grandma Mary's back yard that Ava set up for me. Grandma was retired to Florida now, but I can remember that pool like it was yesterday.

The next memory I had of her is about a year later when she was married to Jon on the beach in early September. It was just days before the twin towers came down and a month later he was deployed to Afghanistan. Ava essentially got to live with him for about a year or so, but then she'd only see him for short periods of time between his three tours.

At the funeral in Washington, I heard the adults talking about how Jon had been killed by an IED. At eight years old, I wasn't sure what that was, but I could see how much pain Ava was enduring. Afterward, Mom took her into our home for nearly two years. Jon had been Dad's best friend growing up and I think Mom got him to introduce Jon to Ava. All three of them had shared in the grieving of his death and gave Ava all the time she needed to get back on her feet. I'd been about ten at the time and very impressionable. Even through her sadness, she had an inner joy that made her fun to be around.

It wasn't just the fact that she was in our home, it was how we seemed to get along; somehow, we clicked. Even at that age, I could tell that it helped her when I was around. Looking back, it probably gave her something else to think about, but to me it just felt like having a good friend. She taught me some games, babysat when my parents went out, went along for school trips and took me places Mom and Dad would only go once if at all. As I pondered my parents' choice for my summer break, I realized that it'd been from that point in time forward that she'd been my favorite aunt.

After she moved back into her Mom's home to start back in college, she kept in touch. She'd sometimes call just to talk with me or drop me a note saying an event had made her think of me and sometimes there'd be a nice long letter telling me about something interesting that happened. If she didn't make it for Christmas, she sent me at least a couple gifts, but of course, the biggest deal was my birthday. I was born on the same date as Grandma Mary and my late Uncle Jon, May 31^st. So, there was always something in the mail for me on that day. It was often a card with a check, but those never made up for not seeing her. The best was when she'd visit our family, or we visited her. We'd each done that several times and they'd often overlapped my birthday. Now, I'd be there for the whole summer and have undivided time with her.

When the doorbell rung around 2 PM, I knew exactly who it was because I'd been watching the clock since he called. As I opened the door, I was stunned at how big he'd grown. He had to be a little taller than Jon had been, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. If I hadn't known better, I'd have sworn they were related.

"Hey Aunt Ava," he said with a big smile and a neat brown mustache.

Opening the storm door, I said, "Hey there yourself, Timmy. Come on in and give me a hug."

He came inside, dropped his bags and the board and gave me a tremendous squeeze. "It's great to see you," he said finally releasing me and taking a step back to look me over. "Wow, you look really fit," he complimented me.

"You're the one that's in great shape. Look at these," I said, as I felt his firm biceps and had to forestall myself from temptations to run my hands across his broad pecks. Folding my arms, I asked, "How tall are you, you look like you've sprung up another four or five inches?"

"I think I'm 6' 2" now, but it's been a while since I checked, and Mom thinks I'm in another growth spurt."

"Is that all you brought?" I ask looking at the little rucksacks he had.

"I didn't bring much," he told me. "That's why I stopped to get some tank tops, a couple swimming trunks and the board," he said pulling at his top exposing more of his pectoral muscle and then pointing to the boogie board.

"Well, I guess we will have to take you shopping. We won't be able to go anywhere nice," I told him a little disappointed.

"Oh, I have a nice button-down shirt and new jeans. I've outgrown most of them; they come up to my shins." he told me, indicating with his hand on his raised leg.

Though he had a thick mustache on his upper lip, the hair on his legs and arms was much thinner. His shoulders and what I could see of his back and chest were essentially hairless. I looked him over and shook my head.

"Okay, I guess if you're still growing, maybe you'll let me get you at least one pair of dress pants?" I asked.

"If I need some, I can buy a pair. You're already going to have extra expenses from me being here," he said and smiled.

"Don't be silly, you let your aunt worry about what things cost while you're here."

"Alright, I'm easy," he told me.

"Well, I've prepared your room back here."

When we got to the room, he asked, "Isn't this usually where Mom and Dad stay?"

"Yeah, but it's got a nice queen-sized bed and the attached bathroom. Besides they aren't here; you are," I said and gave him another squeeze. "You put your stuff away, get changed and I'll see you out by the pool with some snacks."

When Ava answered the door in her black bikini, my eyes probably bugged out of my head. I hoped I didn't make too much of an idiot out of myself when I hugged her or complimented her fitness. Then when she led me to what I'd always considered the grown-up bedroom with the queen size bed instead of the kids' room, which had two twin beds, I couldn't believe it. Her house kind of has two wings, one on either side of the kitchen and eating area. The room she'd put me in is right off the garage, so it essentially had its own entrance. I felt a little disappointed that I wouldn't be across from her room in the kids' room, but having a big bed could be pretty handy, if she was going to allow me to have girls, strike that, women over.

After I'd put away my clothes and put my toiletry kit in the bathroom, I got changed into the new swimming trunks and headed out to her back porch. Passing through the kitchen area, I couldn't help but notice the homey smells of some type of casserole in the oven. The door to the back deck wasn't where I remembered it and the kitchen seemed remodeled, but I wasn't sure because I hadn't been here in about six years.

Her house and the front portion of her yard were raised up on an earth berm like most of the houses along the oceanfront there. Her pool was visible through the back wall of windows, down the embankment in the flat of her yard. Ava was sitting in a lounge chair on the lower portion by the pool near a raised round spa that made a waterfall into the pool. I could tell she knew I was coming, but I couldn't see her eyes behind her sunglasses. When I reached her, she was seated beneath a colorful trio of shade sails having a lite beer.

I seated myself in a chair beside her and tried not to stare at her too much. "Okay, I know you'll have some rules, just tell me what they'll be, and I'll follow them," I told her as her face fought off smiling at my directness.

"Well, this isn't a hotel and I'm not your maid," she replied in teacher-like fashion. Then she continued less formally, "You're a guest, but you're family so clean up behind yourself and everything will be fine."

"That's it? No curfew or guest restrictions?"

"Tim, I'm going to leave that open. Treat me like you would like to be treated in your home."

"That seems fair," I replied.

"One of the reasons I put you down that other hall is so you can have some privacy. You're not able to buy beer, but you can vote and go to war, so who am I to tell you with whom you should or shouldn't sleep," she said.

I knew my jaw was probably hanging open, and all I could think to say was, "Okay..."

"Sorry if that was too blunt, sweetie. Lately I only get to speak with either sixth graders, night school students at the community college or my close circle of friends and they're all very plain spoken."

"That's alright," I told her. "I like it when people speak their mind."

"On that note, I'd prefer you not go out to drink. You can have a couple of beers here, but I don't want to have to come bail you out of jail, they've been enforcing underage drinking very strictly of late."

"That's cool. Mom and Dad feel the same way. Aside from making my bed and doing my laundry are there any chores you'd like me to help you do?" I asked.

"Cleaning the pool and spa can be your job, I'll teach you what to do, but it mostly regulates itself."

"That's all?"

"It'd be nice if you cook some while you're here, but it's more than some husbands do." she said.

"I'm fairly terrible in the kitchen, so I'd be happy to learn."

"We'll have to fix that. How are you going to attract a woman in today's world without being able to cook?" she teased me.

"Yeah, how'm I going to do that first part period?"

"A handsome young man like yourself must have those college women throwing themselves at you," she told me.

"Not so much. I sometimes wish I lived on campus. As a commuter, I see people in classes and that's about it."

"What is going on with these kids?" she asked me, like I knew. It put a little damper on the whole adult thing to be thought of as a kid, but she must have seen my face and quickly corrected what she'd said. "Sorry, I should've said the women there. I see some of the behavior at the community college where I teach."

"Oh, okay," I replied.

Right about then, one of her next-door neighbors popped her head in the gate, "Boop, you here? Is he here yet?"

"Come on in, Sib," she called back. "He's here. Grab a beer and pull up a chair."

I stood up to greet the tall busty olive-skinned woman and hesitantly watched her walk toward us. My tension was relieved slightly when I realized she wasn't nude but was instead wearing a tan bikini. She was very handsome with attractive curves that held my attention more than was comfortable. Judging by a few streaks of grey, I'd've guessed she was in her forties, older than Ava was by maybe ten years. Once she reached us, I couldn't tear my gaze from the very subtle difference in color between her skin and the tight-fitting suit.

She paused at the cooler, reached in and pulled out two beers. The initial excitement of her approach and the view she gave me would normally have caused an erection, but I'd been fighting one ever since sitting beside Ava earlier. As I stood there, I hoped it wasn't showing too badly through my new loose-fitting trunks. I was completely unprepared for being surrounded by these beautiful women. She popped the top on one beer and put the other on the table next to me.

"Tim, this is Sibyl Simpson."

Between the two of them, her suit might have been skimpier, but it'd be hard to say for sure because she must have been a double D cup, while Ava was a full but trim C. I stepped toward her and reached out my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Simpson," I said trying to look her in the eyes.

Sibyl was having none of it and hugged me closely as if she'd known me forever. Her dark-haired head pressed against my chest and her large breasts squeezed between us on my stomach while her arms gripped me. She was just shorter than Ava but with longer legs and shorter torso. I was certain my straining member poked her midriff at nearly the same spot as it had when Ava had hugged me.

Sibyl's eyes glanced downward as she released me and said, "Nice to meet you, too." There was an odd flirty affect to her tone that told me she'd noticed, and she seated herself in the chair between Ava and I. "Call me Sibyl, though, you're not in school," she said jokingly.

"Sibyl has a daughter, Candy," Ava relayed to me.

"She's graduating college next week. I've got to go up to Pittsburgh for her graduation, but she's going to come back with me and take the summer off before looking for a job," Sibyl told us.

"Did you live here six summer's ago?" I asked trepidly.

"Yes, I didn't think you'd remember. Ava is always telling me about you and I think you might have had a crush on Candy that summer."

"Yeah but please don't tell her that," I begged her. "I don't think she even noticed me back then."

"She had a boyfriend and was preparing for college. She was pretty rowdy back then; her father had just passed, and she was into lots of trouble."

"That was probably what attracted me, but that doesn't excite me anymore," I assured them both.

"I'm hoping she takes a shine to you. She's just broken up with her latest," she told me conspiratorially.

"I see. Well, if she's calmed down, maybe she'll have a chance," I said and then laughed.

"Boop, he's a keeper," Sibyl said. "You're smart and cute," she told me and leaned forward to squeeze my knee.

"He's grown up to be a handsome young gentleman, hasn't he?" Ava asked.

"That he has," Sibyl agreed.

I wondered about Ava's nickname but didn't ask. Seeing Sibyl's breasts so close this time, reinvigorated the stiffening in my pants. "So, is this for me?" I asked pointing to the beer she'd set next to my seat.

"Yes, but you stay sober, with guests around. You are welcome to test your limits when it's just us. A young man should learn to drink among family, before he goes out with his 'friends'," Ava told me making air quotes.

"They'll often challenge you to do stupid shit," Sibyl added and laughed sardonically.

"Alright," I replied and popped open the beer. I took several swallows. "Not bad, Dad gets the darker ones. This is kind of easy on the tongue," I told them.

Sibyl winked at me, leaned over to pat my knee again and laughed hysterically. Ava just shook her head while I realized that my words could be taken a different way. Seeing her there in that swimsuit was suddenly taking its toll. Her nipples seemed to taunt me, and I desperately wished I could see them in the flesh but worried they would think I was staring like a pervert.

I chugged the beer and said, "I'm going down to the beach for a while. I've been waiting over six years to get back in that water." With that, I got up and left them there. I jogged around the pool and opened the gate onto the wooden walkway over the dunes. I couldn't get to the water fast enough. My erection was diminishing, but all I could think about was the two women in their bikinis. One was my Aunt, the other as old as my Mom and both of them excited me.

"What are you doing you old flirt," I asked Sibyl when Tim was just past the gate.

"He's cute and I was just foolin'," she told me.

"Sib, I can't and won't tell him what to do, but don't torture the boy. Each time you bent over, you made his eyes pop open even wider. You've got to be about twice his age if not more," I told her.

"I'll have you know I'm just turning forty in August. It's nice to see these things still get noticed," she said lifting her breasts with her hands. "Age is just a number and I think you noticed he was kind of giving you the once over too."

"Tim's going to turn nineteen on May 31^st. At that age they'll look at their mother, aunt or sister and get stiff. Besides which, your tits will get noticed when you're eighty."

"Oh, to be young again," she lamented. "Too bad, Candy and I are going to miss his party," she said sadly. "You going to treat him to something special?" she asked coyly, then stuck her tongue in her cheek, and wiggled it.

"God you're incorrigible," I replied with a grimace.

"I'm sure you saw the woody, he was sporting for you before I was even here?" she countered.

I'd seen his erection, but had ignored it as I did her question. "I hope your Candy has settled down, I'd hate for her to hurt the boy," I told her flatly. "He probably still has that crush."

"A little hurt ain't bad, Boop. It's them big hurts you've got to watch out for."

"That's true; mine nearly killed me," I said.

"When Bill passed after his heart attack, I didn't know what I was going to do. I still can't imagine what you went through when Jon was killed. You should be out there dating. There's plenty of men up and down this beach this time of year. If you can excite an eighteen-year-old, you're still young enough."

I replied quickly, "Thirty-one isn't really what I'd call young."

"Hell, I can still have kids at forty," she said and took several deep swallows of her beer finishing it. "You want another?" she asked and stood up in front of me.

"Yeah, all this talk about being single is depressing me. Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"Look doll, I'm out there searching, and it gets pretty slim after the grey starts coming," she said pulling some long strands of her hair forward to look at the few greys in a thick forest of dark brown.

"Thought you said age was a number. Your hair looks pretty youthful and we can recolor that," I answered.

"Would you do it again for me? I hate going to those salons."

"Sure thing. Do you already have some dye?"

"No, I'll get some tonight. Maybe you can do it tomorrow before I head up to Pittsburgh for the weekend."

"Not a problem. Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow and we'll do it after," I said opening the beer she handed me. I downed a few swallows and jumped into the pool to cool off from the sun and randy conversation.

After a lengthy swim and a short walk on the beach, I decided to head back to Ava's. I'd left abruptly, and it was probably at least a little rude. The beach, while populated, wasn't super crowded today. I guessed that it was because, while local schools were out, most people work, and it was a weekday. It gave me time to recover somewhat from being excited by the two of them. My stimulation came as a bit of a shock. I knew I liked women a little older than myself; Ava was only twelve years older than me, but thinking about Sibyl who had to be as old as my Mom, floored me.

Ava's friend was certainly very attractive, and I couldn't believe her bending forward like that three different times could have been accidental. I'd never thought about Mom like that; of course, she didn't run around in a bikini with huge breasts on the verge of spilling out. Even if she had though, I didn't think I would lust after her, but I'd been so surprised by my reaction, that I couldn't be certain.

What had me more concerned was that I still kind of had a crush on Candy. Maybe it was just the memory of a crush, but I figured it was a good thing she didn't know and hoped it'd stay that way. If Aunt Ava and Sibyl thought I should give her a chance, I would probably have to oblige and be considerate. However, being honest with myself, I knew how lusty I could be. Fuck, lately, a stiff breeze seemed to garner an erection. So, I worried that if Candy started something sexual, I'd likely be a pushover.

When I reached the pool area, I found that they were both there swimming. I hadn't understood how close their friendship was until I heard them chatting. They were talking about men and it sounded like Sibyl was encouraging Ava to date even younger. Near as I could hear, it was because they have stamina, won't get attached and also won't want older women much after forty. Before I opened the gate, I could hear more clearly.